The NFL needs to change the kickoff rule back

[necroplasm]

Agreed. The replay thing is also something that is about to annoy me as well.

what replay thing are you talking about? ....not sure

[Happy Panther]

Seems poorly thought out. The one thing i hate about NFL football is the downtime. The way the action stalls because of challenges, coaches timeout, TV timeout can be frustrating. This just makes the game even more stop and go...

http://www.nesn.com/2011/08/nfls-new-replay-rules-already-annoying-as-touchdown-celebrations-will-have-to-wait.html

For as long as there's been football, the process has been this: Team scores touchdown, fans and players celebrate, kicker boots the extra point, life goes on. This year, though, the whole process is being put on hold.

An NFL official will review every single scoring play this season, and if he deems it to be even the least bit questionable, he will alert the on-field referee. That referee will then put the game on hold to go under the hood and determine if the score was indeed good.

It didn't seem like the biggest deal when the news was announced, but Thursday night, as preseason action opened in New England, fans were treated to a whole lot of waiting around.

The first came when Stevan Ridley fought his way across the goal line. It was the rookie's first taste of an NFL end zone, so he celebrated. And then he waited. And waited. Eventually, referee Ed Hochuli confirmed Ridley had indeed crossed the goal line. The best part was that replays were inconclusive and he probably was down with the ball still an inch or two from the goal line.

Later, Taylor Price made a spectacular catch in the back of the end zone. Hooray! Oh wait, it's going to replay review.

Hochuli had to run about 90 yards from the end zone to the replay machine just to determine that a guy who had clearly caught a football had indeed caught a football. At that point, longtime patriots radio play-by-play announcer Gil Santos clearly got upset, saying that this new system is really going to annoy fans.

It's not the end of the world, and it might help overturn a bad call at some point, but NESN.com's Jeff Howe may have said it best: "I remember eight days ago when the officials said the new TD review system wouldn't delay games. I wish I could have that conversation back."

[JawnyBlaze]

I also don't mind the slight delay to replay every scoring play...I like accuracy and I'd much rather lose a game on a reattributed TD due to an instant replay than lose a game because they missed what should have been a TD.

[Happy Panther]

Replay is fine. Just figure out a way to do it better.

[Carolina Crazy V2]

I know. This game is turning into Arena Football.

[DC Amp]

Throw away the kicking tees and just free kick it. :idea:

[PantherBrew]

They should have just made it where the kicking team can not get a running start and has to wait for the kick to move.

[jtm]

Apparently the most severe injuries happen during kick-offs. I don't like it either.

[JawnyBlaze]

Yea, that's a good idea too. I was also thinking some way of slowing down the kicking team's gunners would go a long way so the collisions don't happen at such a high speed.

[usmcpanthers]

I know the rule change was for safety but players will still hit at the same speed and velocity, 5 yards wont make that much a difference when players only need a yard or two for full acceleration. I believe it reduces the amount of times one of the most exciting plays in the game will be seen this year. I see less comebacks this year. I could be wrong tho, Chargers ran one back out of the end zone a couple nights ago.

[fjblair]

This has to be the worst rule change in NFL history.

Is it possible for the NFL to change it back before the regular season? It makes the game a lot less interesting. Might as well not even have a kickoff. Just save us 1 minute and start at 20.

I agree, it is the worst. Borderline absurd.

[Ricky Spanish]

as far as the whole replay issue is concerned, there are plenty of ways to make the entire thing more efficient.

for example, instead of making one of the refs stop play and go to a booth and look at it himself, have a "replay ref" already upstairs in a booth to review the play quicker, and then have him signal on the jumbotron the outcome of the replay. it would probably cut the entire process in half.

[beastson]

as far as the whole replay issue is concerned, there are plenty of ways to make the entire thing more efficient.

for example, instead of making one of the refs stop play and go to a booth and look at it himself, have a "replay ref" already upstairs in a booth to review the play quicker, and then have him signal on the jumbotron the outcome of the replay. it would probably cut the entire process in half.

I would have though that's how it should go.... BUT

Isn't it only reviewed on non-clear TD's. If not, it should be

[stankowalski]

They should make touchbacks = 10 yard line. Bet more teams would bring it out then.